alternativeworship.org
Intro

Church support

So - are you going to go it alone, or are you going to be part of some pre-existing Church grouping?

The alternative worship world is divided on this question: for some groups, the world of established Christianity is the very thing that they're trying to escape from. They don't want to be part of someone else's project, with hidden agendas of growing someone's church.

Often, leaders of 'regular' churches see alternative worship as a way of feeding new members into existing church services, after a suitable induction period in the alternative group. This is misguided, for if alternative worship really succeeds, then it becomes an authentic expression of worship and faith in its own right. Anyone who belongs to an alternative worshipping community will see little point joining a regular form of worship at some later stage. That is why, for many, there is too much baggage involved when joining something which is effectively part of a larger, more usual, church setting.

On the other hand, there are also examples where alternative worship has successfully existing alongside more usual forms of church life. For this to work, it is vital that the leadership and membership of the wider church realise that the alternative worship setting is 'real church' in its own right, and allow it to exist as a discrete congregation and develop its own ways of doing things.

It's equally important that those in the alternative worship service realise that they have a responsibility in belonging to a wider community, and are prepared to take the rough with the smooth in that relationship. The leadership of any church that includes an alternative worship service must be fully committed to the people and the vision behind that service, otherwise relationships could become difficult at some later stage.

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